What's New

RIRID is partnering with RIAD to gather feedback on interpreter's experiences working for Lifespan Corporation. We are sharing a 15 minute survey with RIRID members, local interpreters and any interpreters who have provided on-site services for Lifespan facilities. It is our hope that with data and anecdotal feedback, interpreting services can be improved in order to improve access and health outcomes for the Deaf Community in RI.

The survey is herehttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe3fAvVqLrGd3AfLcfLua3WEHedDjw9fn4guMS7KKj2Ft52Bg/viewform

Because some of the questions will ask you to describe your experiences working in a healthcare setting, we want to emphasize complying with HIPPA regulations. Please refrain from using specific names or any other personally identifiable information of patients. This survey will be available from November 7, 2018 - November 13, 2018 at 5:00 pm. Thank you for your participation!

Here is RIRID's quarterly updated with highlights from our October 20, 2018 meeting. RIRID has been making great strides that we are happy to share with you.

RID National Conference 2019, July 7-11, 2019, Providence, RIhttps://www.rid.org/2018/10/rid-2019-national-conference-providence-ri/We are thrilled to be able to serve our profession by hosting RID for their 2019 Biannual National Conference. As many of you know, RIRID along with RIAD had been in communication during the summer of 2018 during RID’s leadership turnover. This opportunity was actually sowed a year prior at the RID 2017 national conference where I offered Providence as a potential site for the 2019 conference. I was and am still so proud of our community, resources and work ethic, that it seemed like a natural offer. Understandably, the winds of leadership have changed, as they do in all non-profit organizations, RIRID's forward looking and steadfast support of the profession, aligned us to respectfully discuss open dialogue with headquarters and support the field of interpreting with an impactful opportunity. How can you get involved? RID will be seeking volunteers to help on all different levels of conference planning. We will forward these calls for support as they become available. There will also be opportunities for interpreting (trilingual, deaf interpreters, deaf-blind interpreting plus other specialties) and exhibition hall tables available. RIRID and RIAD will have a strong presence and look forward to sharing our local flavor with our peers. We are currently looking for local hot spots to share with the community as people save the date. Please send us your favorite go-to places by November 7. Ideally, places would be closer to Providence so folks could get there from the hotel. We appreciate your help!

We have a full board!RIRID would like to welcome the following new board members for their 2018-2020 term:Rosa Norberg, RIRID Vice PresidentTina Nelson, RIRID TreasurerHeather Neidbala, RIRID Secretary Gabriel Boynton, RIRID Member at Large (Interim until 2019)Lauren Buckling, RIRID Member at Large (Interim until 2019)

They join the following board who are currently serving terms until 2019Hayley Jamroz Baccaire, RIRID PresidentCharley Thorn, RIRID Correspondence Secretary

Thank you again to Heather Anderson, Maurenn McEntee and Michele Neiley for their years of board service.

Thank you to our returning and new board members for their willingness to serve. We are working on developing a board training to guide new leadership and focus on our completing some big goals in 2019 and beyond.

RIRID's 501c3 status reinstated, we can apply for grants and receive donations with tax write off. This is a huge indicator of our organization's viability and sustainability. Thank you to Michele Nieley for her persistent work on this matter.

CJ will be at CDHH Coffee HourCurtiss James will be representing RIRID at RICDHH's coffee hour, along with RIRID intern Jeanette Gonzales Wright. Jeanette is working with RIRID as part of her community partnership program through the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. She will be displayer her poster on medical interpreting and VRI services. Thank you to CJ and Jeanette for you time!

RIRID co-presented with RIAD at OSCIL on 10/25/18 on rights for deaf individuals to access interpreting services. We covered which laws cover which entities and talked about ways in which the request process can have breakdowns. There was around 40 people in attendance, including a group from the RI School for the Deaf. We are grateful to Margie Molloy for the invitation and to Danielle Laughlin, Charley Thorn for joining me on this presentation.

2019Looking ahead to 2019, RIRID would like to do the following:-Complete the review of our bylaws-Focus the first half of the year on board development and supporting RID, then refocus for the second half to the year. Priorities will be established in our January board training.-Workshops will not be hosted locally as RID will be here. Stay tuned for workshop information, registration, volunteering and interpreting opportunities. -Update website to Wild Apricot to integrate membership tracking, event planning and financial services under one server.

Community NewsUnfortunately, Mebb's mother has passed away and she is spending time in Florida to tend to family. RIRID has sent a condolence card and we hope for peace in her family.

I will be giving birth to my daughter soon and going on maternity leave. Rosa will be watching the president email address and I hope to be back before the end of the year.

The Rhode Island Foundation sent out this blast looking for folks to learn about board training. See their message below:

We are seeking active, passionate Rhode Islanders who are looking for ways to serve their community and make a lasting difference by helping to shape the state’s critical nonprofit sector through board service.

On September 7 and 8 we will be holding a free Board Bootcamp, designed to equip participants with the awareness, skills, and capabilities to serve on a nonprofit board. In particular, we are seeking participants who are under 35, or who identify as persons of color, or as persons with low- to moderate-income, and who have never served on a board before.

There are two options for participation –

Board Bootcamp Leadership I (capacity: 30 participants)

Friday, September 7, 4:00-7:30 pmFaculty Center, Rhode Island College

A training/orientation program around board governance basics. Topics covered:

If you are interested in attending ONLY Board Bootcamp Leadership I please register by clicking here.

If you are interested in attending both Board Bootcamp Leadership I and II, please complete the attached application by noon on August 15, and return it to Jill Pfitzenmayer at jpfitzenmayer@rifoundation.org. Upon review of your application a member of our team will be in contact with you regarding registration for Board Bootcamp Leadership I and II.

RIRID general meeting 1/28/17 at the RI School for the Deaf. President Hayley Baccaire led a positive and dynamic meeting with members resulting in several outcomes beginning with: We had a quorum! President's Report highlights: Hayley announced that Maureen McEntee has volunteered to be our new recording secretary. Bridgemark will be hosting a Healthcare Literacy workshop for interpreters date TBD. RICDHH will be interviewing for a Staff Interpreter, RIRID declined participation to avoid any conflict of interest. Four CDHH Bills and proposed legislation were explained and discussed. RIRID membership voted to support them. The Board held a retreat and established "Big hairy audacious" goals: 1. To double our savings 2. To partner with Deaf colleagues in public speaking presentations about Deaf Culture. 3.To re- establish trust. 4. To communicate and partner with the community. 5. To increase the pool of working interpreters. This last goal led to the formation of a subcommittee including Heather, Rosa and Carol to discuss the use of mentoring. Vice President's Report: Heather focused on workshops: What would you like a workshop on? Also, you can provide a workshop and earn CEUs. All RIRID sponsored workshops provide free CEUs to members. Treasurer's Report: Michele announced that our current balance is $11,171.11. We will be meeting with an accountant to reinstate our 501(c)(3) status which requires a conflict of interest statement. An ad hoc budget committee was formed to review our finances and develop a budget approval process. Corresponding Secretary's report: Charly announced that we have 17 members and cards have been emailed to them. He will keep the membership informed of deaf/interpreting community events on a weekly basis. Recording Secretary's report: Maureen contacted DOH regarding the backlog of interpreter licenses, there are now only 5 pending and those applicants have been contacted. The new board of licensure candidates will be presented to the Legislature by the end of January. Updates: Charly and Heather will be attending the LEAD conference in Utah. Thank You to Bridgemark for sponsoring one attendee! Upcoming events: on 2/18 Heather will host the next interpreter round table at her house. Future RIRID meetings are: 4/8, 6/24, and 10/17 all at Perspectives in Warwick from 10 am to noon. RIRID will hold a special meeting to discuss Tier 1 and Tier 2 for interpreters, stay tuned! The following minutes were approved: 11/12/16, 6/25/16, 2/20/16, and 10/17/16 Kudos to Hayley Baccaire for running such a productive meeting! And many thanks to those who have stepped up to volunteer for committees and actions to get the work done! Great team work! ​

Happy New Year! 2016 has been a great year for RIRID, and we are looking forward to 2017. 2016WorkshopsApril 2016 Emergency Referral Forum and SurveyBuilding on our November 2015 Forum, we hosted a forum on Emergency Services where the lack of ASL interpreters was discussed. Findings were shared with RICDHH who is now discussing various solutions to the challenge of securing interpreters for emergent needs. Foundations IIIBetty Colonomos hosted Foundations III at Perspectives in October 2016. RI interpreters partnered with interpreters from across New England to improve the way we talk about interpreting with our peers. New Board RolesThank you to our board members for volunteering their time and mental energy throughout 2016. A very special thank you to Rosa Norberg, who has given lots of love, attention to detail, and support for the deaf community. She stepped down from president and handed Hayley Baccaire the reins for President. Because of Rosa’s work, there is a vibrant heartbeat to our organization. Again, thank you Rosa for your dedication throughout the decades! Other board members include Heather Anderson as Vice President, Michele Neiley as Treasurer, Charley Thorn as correspondence secretary, Heather Niedbala as Member at Large and Rosa Norberg as Recent Past President. We are grateful that Michele has been willing to learn the role of the treasurer so RIRID can continue to thrive. Heather Anderson has put in an incredible amount of time and energy to process CEUs and generate a positve cash flow for RIRID. Thank you to her for her tireless attention to CEUs. We will vote on filling the vacant secretary position at our January meeting. If you would like to be considered, please send your name to Heather A at riridvicepresident@ririd.orgAdvocacyCoordinated 2016 Election VideoRIRID partnered with the members of the RI Deaf Community to create a video on the 2016 ballot questions. The project was our first attempt at creating a translation of public information. We look forward to continued projects based in the community. To see the video, click here. https://youtu.be/ZxJozZicZ5oThank you!Throughout 2016 we have received support from RISDeaf and Perspectives. They have both donated space for our events, which allow us to maintain reasonable costs for workshops. They have also allowed us to use their projectors which allows us to conduct our meetings via powerpoint. Thank you RISDeaf and Perspectives for your contribution to our events. Another special thank you to RICDHH for including RIRID members in discussions on interpreting services in RI. Last but not least, thank you to our membership who has continually been engaged and supportive of the interpreting and Deaf communities. I know participation comes in all shades, checking in on Facebook and reading email, to hosting events. Whatever your ability to participate, we thank you for your involvement. RIRID would cease to exist without our members.2017Meeting DatesSaturday, January 28, 2017 10 am Quarterly meeting at RISDeaf workshop to follow & lunch providedSaturday, February 18, 2017 10 am Interpreter Round Table at Heather Anderson’s home in CoventrySaturday, April 8, 2017 10am Quarterly Meeting at Perspectives in WarwickSaturday, June 24, 2017 10 am Quarterly Meeting at Perspectives in WarwickSaturday, October 14, 2017, 10 am Quarterly Meeting at Perspectives at in WarwickFollowing the Foundations III workshop, RIRID members in attendance recognized there is a need to talk about our work and business challenges as colleagues. We came up with one solution to host regular Interpreter Roundtable Meetings, to gather at rotating member’s homes or coffee shops and touch base. Think of it as a lunch table or teacher’s room at school-the chance to check in and bounce ideas off of each other. As our Quarterly meetings are very structured and specific, roundtable meetings give members the chance to let the conversation flow, then bring issues to quarterly meetings. The next meeting will be February 18 at Heather Anderson’s house. Workshops Deaf Interpreter For-For? by Eileen Forestal, PhD, RSCSaturday, January 28, 2017, lunch available at 12:00 pm, workshop runs 12:30 -3:30 pmEileen Forestal will discuss the current research and effective practices for Deaf Interpreters and Deaf-Hearing interpreter teams. This workshop will help both interpreters and Deaf people identify the need for a Deaf interpreter (DI) and advocate why a DI is needed for effective communication and important cultural decision making. See Eileen’s vlog here https://youtu.be/DAWMlwQOHJE.3 PS CEUs will be provided by RIRID*FREE*Minutes and Remote VotingRIRID has had a hard time reaching a quorum at our 2016 meetings, therefore we have many minutes that are not yet approved. We will utilize the password protected portal of our site to share the draft minutes to members. I will post a survey with to allow for approval and comments. If you choose to vote remotely, members will submit their name with their vote, similar to raising your hand in a quarterly meeting. I will bring the results to our January 28 meeting, and share the draft minutes a final time with the comments. Hopefully, this method will allow for more members to participate in the voting process. The files and password will be uploaded and shared from January 13-27. If you have technical issues, email me at RIRIDpresident@ririd.org, or glide me. CDHH Hiring a Staff InterpreterRICDHH is hiring a staff interpreter to work at the Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. In the past, meetings have been postponed due to interpreter availability. We encourage interpreters to check out the job description and apply, the deadline for applying is 1/13/17. https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1614607/staff-interpreter-ricdhhRID 2017 LEAD Together National ConferenceThis year’s national conference will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah from July 20 -24, 2017. The conference will have two tracks: leadership and skills development. Both tracks have limited seats, and participation will be determined by allocation to member organization/section and then by lottery. There are two seats allocated to RIRID to participate in the leadership track. Right now, RIRID is wondering who would want to attend. If there is a great number, we will figure out a way to select our 2 delegates. The expectation is that the 2 delegates will attend the conference, learn leadership skills to bring back and implement in RI. I am really excited about this opportunity, and look forward to improving our chapter. Please contact me at RIRIDpresident@ririd.org by January 10 if you would like to be considered for a spot.

RIRID worked with members of the Deaf Community to create an ASL version of the 2016 ballot questions in ASL Volunteers reviewed the Voter Information Handbook disseminated by the office of the Secretary of State, Nellie M. Gorbea to sign the information that is typically provided in English. Thank you to the volunteers to who volunteered their time for free, as well as the RI School for the Deaf for lending us space to film. We look forward to partnering with the Deaf Community soon.

Our fall 2016 meeting took place on November 12, 2016 at Perspectives Corporation. Interpreters, CODAs, Deaf community members and up and coming interpreters were present. It was the first meeting that Hayley Baccaire was acting as President. There was not a quorum at the meeting, so minutes were unable to be voted on. Minutes and a new conflict of interest policy will be shared via the website and voted on remotely starting in January. Officers gave reports and we learned about updates from RID leadership, the national conference and testing. The board announced they will attend a retreat in January to learn how to use Google Docs and establish goals for 2017.

Luce Aubry from Framingham State University came and explained their interpreter training program. The program is the only public interpreter training program that is local to Rhode Islanders. The program is hybrid, which means it requires one day on campus and work can be done online from home, or locally with a mentor. More information is available on our recruitment page.

Steve Florio, the Executive Director from the Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing came to speak about the Tier 1 and Tier 2 approach to interpreter scheduling through RICDHH. Currently, there are 8 interpreters who accept a large volume of work via RICDHH; there are also interpreters who accept a lesser volume of state work. Steve is working to create a system through which RICDHH can partner with agencies to ensure that state requests are covered. The model would give priority to the independent contractors on the MPA, Tier 1, then share the unfilled assignment with agencies, Tier 2. Tier 2 is for interpreting companies/agencies that offer sign language interpreters, either in person or remote services. The same goes for CART remote companies. Unfilled assignments would become available to Tier 2 entities one week before the start date of the assignment. If a request is submitted within 72 hours of the start time, the request would be sent to Tier 1 and Tier 2 entities to expedite the referral process.

We are hoping to have a larger turn out of interpreters at our January 28 meeting to weigh the pro's and con's of this approach. RIRID would like to present formal feedback to the commission in February 2017. ​Please make time to come to our next meeting on Saturday, January 28, 2017 10 am - noon at the RI School for the Deaf. It will be followed by a free workshop by Eileen Forestal on Working with a Deaf Interpreter. She will explain how Deaf Interpreters are used by many Deaf individuals to create a more accurate interpretation. Flier to follow soon.

Betty Colonomos presented Foundations III of The Interpreting Process Model over the weekend Oct. 14-16. Interpreters from New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island gathered at Perspectives in Warwick for a stimulating workshop. We practiced sign-to-voice interpreting consecutively using the Colonomos Model to analyze the goal, theme, affect and register of the live text. Working in groups of 3 one interpreter provided the interpretation. Then 2 interpreters practiced talking about the work in an objective, non-judgmental way.

Colonomos provided a variety of texts for rich discussion and gave us the scaffold on which to build a productive discussion. Her style is filled with compassion and humor, honed by over 40 years of experience. Each interpreter left the weekend with a personal goal based on her own work.

Thank You to Rosa Norberg, Heather Anderson and Hayley Baccaire for your time and energy arranging this opportunity for RI interpreters to work with our colleagues from around New England! The snacks and coffee were much appreciated, the room was comfortable and the equipment ran perfectly. Several members of the workshop enjoyed an Italian dinner at Luigi's in Johnston with Betty after the Saturday session.

​Foundations IV will be offered the weekend of November 18-20 at Advocates in Framingham coordinated by MassRID. We hope to see you there!

RIRID sent out an important e-mail on Monday, May 16, 2016 related to on-call services. Please read and respond to Hayley at RIRIDsecretary@ririd.org

RI RID Board met on May 14 to discuss proposed changes to the RICDHH MPA and Interpreter Referral Service Policies and Procedures. The Board came to consensus on the top three items we wanted to address. On behalf of the Board, I sent a letter to RICDHH and the Commissioners to share our concerns. To summarize, the Board asked that the1)BEI not be added to the MPA2) the hierarchy of the MPA be restructured to reflect two categories, Certified and Screened3) to postpone adding the Tier 1 and Tier 2 until further research can be done by the Board, together with RICDHH.

RIRID is looking to fill the following board positions:Members at LargeWorks with general membership andmembers interest to assist in thecoordination of activities andcommunication with the membership andserve as membership coordinators.

PresidentA. Represents the organization in all appropriate activities.B. Presides at meetings of the Members and Directors.C. Appoints committees.D. Cosigns checks with the Secretary/Treasurer or any other person designated through action of the Board of Directors.E. Provides at least semi-annuallyreports to the membership concerning business,Board of Directors activities, and financial status of the organization.

RIRID hosted our second community forum on April 2, 2016. We had a large turn out of Deaf Community members. We were able to brainstorm feedback to improve the Emergency Referral System (ERS), which was brought to the Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing's committee on ERS. We also discussed RID's changes to testing and Holly St Pierre presented on RICDHH's new scheduling platform. We will host another community forum in three months. Look out for more info soon!